1). Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the method of construction and to the resulting innerspring mattress having independent suspension when used by two people.
2). Prior Art
There have been attempts to create an innerspring mattress with independent suspension for two people. One such attempt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,721 granted on Sep. 30, 1958, to M. Koenigsberg. It is stated in the Koenigsberg patent that ". . . in double mattresses it is desirable to construct the mattress so that a person lying on one side thereof will not cause the entire mattress to sag to the discomfort of a person lying on the other side." [Col. 1 lines 29-33] The solution proposed by Koenigsberg is in effect two separate spring units within a common padding and ticking or cover. In a first embodiment two effectively separate spring units are bordered by independent coil springs as shown in FIGS. 5-7 and 13 and 14 of the drawings of the Koenigsberg patent. A pair of sleeping sections is separated by a centrally disposed row of springs. (This row may also be considered a longitudinal, i.e., head-to-toe, column of springs). The completed mattress with this spring assembly has a hard area down the middle.
A hard area down the middle of the mattress also results from the spring assembly of another embodiment shown in FIGS. 10-12. In this embodiment a pair of sleeping sections is separated by one or more longitudinal column(s) or row(s) of coil springs that are centrally located. The central row of springs is enclosed by border wires to further separate the sleeping sections.
In both embodiments of Koenigsberg, the two sleeping sections essentially extend the longitudinal length of the mattress.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,111 issued to R. F. Korney on Feb. 24, 1953 discloses another approach to independent suspension. However, a hard area in the center and running longitudinal is also present in the Korney design. Effectively, two separate spring units with border wire around the periphery at the top and bottom are placed side-by-side. Each spring assembly has its own padding and complete spring unit.
Another independent suspension mattress that employs side-by-side spring assemblies, similar to that of the Korney patent, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,788, granted D. F. Forwood on Sep. 18, 1953. Each spring assembly has its own resilient pad and its own padded cover. Again, a central hard area running longitudinally results.